Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,788, dated April 10, 1866.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW P, OoNANT, of Smithland, in the county ot' Livingston and Stale of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Water-Wheel and I do hereby declare that the following' is a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- 4 Figure l represents a vertical section of this invention, the line x a", Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ot' the saine, taken in the plane indicated by the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a horizontal Waterwheel which is inclosed in an air-tight chamber or scroll, and which is composed of amain wheel and a discharge-wheel. The buckets of the main wheel are placed in a tangential position, so that the Water on meeting them acts first by percussion and then by reaction, and that by this action the water is carried to the buckets ofthe discharge-wheel, which is made in the form ot' a French turbine wheel, so that the water while it discharges acts again by reaction and drops from the center of the wheel after it has spent all its force. The wheel, being inclosed in au air-tight chamber, can be run by suction or by force, and it gives a very great percentage of power.

A represents the scroll, which may be cast of iron or made of any other suitable material, and to which the water is admitted through a gate, B, which is constructed of a vertical plate, a, and a horizontal plate, b. When the gate is raised only partially the horizontal plate prevents the Water from spluttering up immediately behind the gate, and it is compelled to meet the wheel in a solid current.

The scroll A incloses the wheel C D, which is mounted on a vertical arbor, E, and this arbor is stepped in a suitable step below, and it has its bearing above in the cover of the scroll, as shown in Fig. l. Said cover is screwed down air-tight, so that the wheel can be run by suction or by force.

The wheel is composed of two distinct partsviz., the main wheel C and the discharge wheel D. The buckets of the main wheel are placed in a tangential position, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the current ot' water on entering the scroll meets the same in a perpendicular direction, or nearly so, and after having acted by percussion it (the water) is carried in toward the center ot' the wheel and acts by reaction until it reaches the discharge D. rlhe buckets of this latter wheel are made in the form of a French turbine wheel, and the water on passing over these buckets acts again by reaction, and when it drops from the wheel all its force is spent.

By these means a wheel is obtained which is very simple iu its construction. It is strong' and durable and not liable to get out of order and gives a better effect than most Wheels put up under equal circumstances.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Paten t p The arrangement of the tangential buckets ofthe wheel G, curved bucket ofthe dischargewheel D, and L-shaped gate B, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose herein specified.

The above specification ot my invention signed by me this 28th da-y of June, 1865.

M. M. LIVINGSTON, WM. F. MGNAMARA. 

